Christmas 2009
Ah, finally some quiet time as the kids are in bed. i'm enjoying the last of our mulled apple cider. We did get the public rooms of the house pretty well cleaned up, at least enough for company to come over. There is still much to be done, but this was a good start, and a massive effort on our part. Now to keep what we've done up to par, and clean, purge & organize the rest to match. Both our trash and recycle bins are full to the brim, which is unusual for us (usually it is the recycle bin that is full, with only one bag of trash). Thankfully, trash pickup is tomorrow.
The kids got a lot of presents last night, and Relle's favorite is her Polly Pocket roller coaster from Grandma. Cam got Hot Wheels tracks and cars, Polar Express train from Santa (matches his Thomas set), and some Wii games, among many others. Relle's Santa gift was a Barbie play computer and a warm Tinkerbell blanket/snugglie. They also got some joint toys, like a Crayola maker for all their bits o' crayons, to merge into one, and a Crayola keyboard and mouse set for their computer - it has big colorful keys, and a light up mouse. And they also have their castle walled play room to play in, including a new carpet that I bought over a year ago at Ikea. The carpet has printed roads, mountains, buildings, etc. to pretend on with their cars or whatever.
Santa brought me a new garment steam cleaner... which I can use on my historical garments (my wool gown really needs it). It's a big Rowenta with a clothing rack, too. I think my historical clothes won't fit on the rack, but it can be used for the modern jackets & shirts I plan on making. Rob got me a gift card to Amazon that I've already used for books*. He also got me a cd of Abbey Road remastered (Beatles for those of you too young to remember), along with a couple of Trans Siberian Orchestra cds that are for both of us, really. Their latest is actually a Halloween album, Night Castle.
The cats even got new presents. Bootsie is playing with her empty box lid, and the round track ball chaser. Sandy is warm outside sitting on her new plump (and washable) pillow, with an old blanket on top. She likes to perch there during the day even, which tells me she loves it as she's otherwise elsewhere in the yard.
The kids accomplished Operation Toy Cleanup tonight, putting away all of their new toys into the play room, so my living room is once again picked up and clean. Well... now Rob is getting out his big Christmas toy, a new electronic drum set that Santa brought for him. I got him the Star Trek blueray, along with something else I've forgotten, a music cd I think. I've still got to clear up the dishes (it will be done before bed).
I didn't mention much on the Small family gathering. It was a lot of people for our smaller home, so cozy, but not bad. Everyone had plenty to eat (we are still swimming in beerocks), the kids had fun opening presents, and the adults enjoyed their gifts. We adults actually only had one person to buy for, picked out at Thanksgiving last.
My gift was a gift card to Hancock fabrics. I have no idea what I will find there, but I am thinking of modern or maybe steampunk style clothing, which opens up the field to stuff I wouldn't buy otherwise for my historical clothes. Maybe the pretty red embroidered fabric in home dec that I've been eyeing for awhile, or some wools on sale or something. Won't know till I get there, and I will take my time if needed.
That was pretty much our Christmas. Today was just a quiet relaxing day playing with toys or being online looking for what books I wanted. I know amazon.com has a lot of things to offer, and I was tempted to buy Victorian patterns, but I'd rather wait till I know exactly what I want to make, and order direct. So books it was.
*Books from Amazon were:
I hope everyone here had a wonderful holiday celebration this year, be it Christmas, Hanukah, Yule or whatever your belief. Happy Holidays to all my friends here. Thank you so very much for reading, and know that I really appreciate your online presence, more than some may realize. While 12th Night is the next big thing for many, I am still unsure if I want to travel far to go to one, and New Years is usually a quiet night around here.
The kids got a lot of presents last night, and Relle's favorite is her Polly Pocket roller coaster from Grandma. Cam got Hot Wheels tracks and cars, Polar Express train from Santa (matches his Thomas set), and some Wii games, among many others. Relle's Santa gift was a Barbie play computer and a warm Tinkerbell blanket/snugglie. They also got some joint toys, like a Crayola maker for all their bits o' crayons, to merge into one, and a Crayola keyboard and mouse set for their computer - it has big colorful keys, and a light up mouse. And they also have their castle walled play room to play in, including a new carpet that I bought over a year ago at Ikea. The carpet has printed roads, mountains, buildings, etc. to pretend on with their cars or whatever.
Santa brought me a new garment steam cleaner... which I can use on my historical garments (my wool gown really needs it). It's a big Rowenta with a clothing rack, too. I think my historical clothes won't fit on the rack, but it can be used for the modern jackets & shirts I plan on making. Rob got me a gift card to Amazon that I've already used for books*. He also got me a cd of Abbey Road remastered (Beatles for those of you too young to remember), along with a couple of Trans Siberian Orchestra cds that are for both of us, really. Their latest is actually a Halloween album, Night Castle.
The cats even got new presents. Bootsie is playing with her empty box lid, and the round track ball chaser. Sandy is warm outside sitting on her new plump (and washable) pillow, with an old blanket on top. She likes to perch there during the day even, which tells me she loves it as she's otherwise elsewhere in the yard.
The kids accomplished Operation Toy Cleanup tonight, putting away all of their new toys into the play room, so my living room is once again picked up and clean. Well... now Rob is getting out his big Christmas toy, a new electronic drum set that Santa brought for him. I got him the Star Trek blueray, along with something else I've forgotten, a music cd I think. I've still got to clear up the dishes (it will be done before bed).
I didn't mention much on the Small family gathering. It was a lot of people for our smaller home, so cozy, but not bad. Everyone had plenty to eat (we are still swimming in beerocks), the kids had fun opening presents, and the adults enjoyed their gifts. We adults actually only had one person to buy for, picked out at Thanksgiving last.
My gift was a gift card to Hancock fabrics. I have no idea what I will find there, but I am thinking of modern or maybe steampunk style clothing, which opens up the field to stuff I wouldn't buy otherwise for my historical clothes. Maybe the pretty red embroidered fabric in home dec that I've been eyeing for awhile, or some wools on sale or something. Won't know till I get there, and I will take my time if needed.
That was pretty much our Christmas. Today was just a quiet relaxing day playing with toys or being online looking for what books I wanted. I know amazon.com has a lot of things to offer, and I was tempted to buy Victorian patterns, but I'd rather wait till I know exactly what I want to make, and order direct. So books it was.
*Books from Amazon were:
- Shirtmaking by David Coffin. There is an optional dvd that I did not order. This and the next book were both purchased because I really want to make more modern clothes, and I want them to be of good if not excellent quality in all details. I already have fitting, pattern drafting, tailoring & couture books, so these two seemed like good additions for the finer details.
- Making Trousers for Men & Women: A Multimedia Sewing Workshop also by David Coffin. It comes with a DVD to show hands-on visuals.
- Your Backyard Herb Garden... by Miranda Smith. It has been in the cart for a long time, and since I want more fresh herbs for use in cooking, this is a timely one for us to get.
- Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-Person Historical Interpretation by Stacy F. Roth. I've seen this book recommended several times over the past couple of years. I think it will help with my planned tailor shop idea.
I hope everyone here had a wonderful holiday celebration this year, be it Christmas, Hanukah, Yule or whatever your belief. Happy Holidays to all my friends here. Thank you so very much for reading, and know that I really appreciate your online presence, more than some may realize. While 12th Night is the next big thing for many, I am still unsure if I want to travel far to go to one, and New Years is usually a quiet night around here.